and prescribing eye drugs if the Optometrist is a qualified prescribing practitioner. All those things cost time and money and it should be charged for it.
However many patients/customers are not willing to pay at all. We live in one country where medical services are free for everyone but the optometric services are private. Well, it is true we offer a basic NHS tests. If you read the contract with the NHS it does not say we have to, for example, instill lisamine green or fluorescein to diagnose dry eye. We Optoms do it everyday.
The NHS is short in resources. The numbers of ophthalmologists is limited and the prospect for the future is that the NHS will rely more and more on us. We should be paid for that. If we only concentrate in selling specs our future will not be good.